With the passing of former Detroit Lions middle linebacker Joe Schmidt, the longtime captain who helped lead the Lions to world championships in 1953 and 1957, then served as the team’s head coach for six seasons, we have lost a legendary figure whose likeness could have been etched into a Mount Rushmore of Detroit sports icons.

A media panel once named the Pro Football Hall of Famer, “Mr. Detroit Lion” and frankly, even to this day, the moniker still fits.

I was very fortunate to have known Schmidt for 25 years.

On numerous occasions, I interviewed him in person or over the phone for freelance articles I wrote for the Free Press and we stayed in touch over the years. On a few occasions, I broke bread with him. I would sometimes call him on his Jan. 18 birthday, if I remembered. The conversation always ended with, “Thanks for calling, pal.”

I found him to be kind, humble, softspoken, and proud of his time playing during the glory years of Lions football in the 1950s, when he redefined the middle linebacker position as the “defensive quarterback.”

He was a gentleman who truly had class.

Schmidt also had a wonderful sense of humor.

Like actor John Belushi, who gave out nicknames to his fraternity brothers in the comedy "Animal House," it was Schmidt who sometimes provided monikers to many of his teammates. Carl Brettschneider was “Badger.” John Gordy was “The Bear.” Dan LaRose was “Fred Flintstone” and so on.

In his bestselling book Paper Lion, participatory journalist George Plimpton recounted trying out as the Lions quarterback at the 1963 training camp at Cranbrook School and wrote about Schmidt and the escapades of the colorful Lion players. Schmidt later played himself as the Lions head coach in the 1968 movie "Paper Lion."

When he was the head coach, he was once approached by two of his star players, Lem Barney and Mel Farr, whose close friend, Motown singer Marvin Gaye, had asked if he could try out for the Lions.

Of course, nearly every head football coach would have said, “Hell no,” but Schmidt kindly gave the famous vocalist a one-day tryout, after which he politely told Gaye that it would be best to stick to singing.

In 2007, after interviewing Joe for my Free Press article on the 50^th anniversary of the Lions’ last world championship, he agreed to meet me at Tiger Stadium with Free Press photographer Mandi Wright, who took photos of him on the field.

It was a beautiful, sunny September morning at the ballpark where Schmidt had starred as a player from 1953 until he retired after the 1965 season.  I had brought a game-used Lions football and Mandi brought a step ladder, which she stood on and photographed Schmidt as he looked up with a beautiful smile on his face holding the ball.

He reminisced about the stadium and fondly pointed out front row seats where some season-ticket holders gave out hot dogs to some players. He also sadly pointed to the spot where, during his tenure as head coach, receiver Chuck Hughes had died of a heart attack during the closing minutes of a 1971 game. “A good player and a great guy,” he said.

As we were about to leave the ballpark, Schmidt asked the employee from the city if we could go inside the home locker room. The man told us that since the Tigers had abandoned the stadium there was no longer electricity but he had a key to open it up and a flashlight.

When we walked in, you couldn’t even see your hands.

But as soon as the man pointed his flickering flashlight beam to the floor, Joe Schmidt took off in a beeline to his corner locker.

I asked him how he found it so quickly.

He said, "Hell, I played here for 13 years, it was easy.”

Wright then asked Schmidt to stand in front of his locker where, for a millisecond, her camera flash lit him as he stood smiling.

When we were done, I walked two blocks up Michigan Avenue with him for a hamburger at Nemo’s, one of his favorite spots. It was another wonderful opportunity to hear colorful stories about quarterback Bobby Layne, head coach Buddy Parker, running back Doak Walker and those amazing championship years.

At one point I asked him if he still had the game ball that was awarded to him after the Lions won their last world championship in 1957.

Schmidt said that he gave the ball to the team’s center that year, Frank Gatski, who had just played in his last NFL game. He sheepishly then remarked that years later he asked Gatski if he still had the ball (which arguably could be called the Holy Grail of Lions football).

With a hearty laugh, he said: “Frank told me that his dog got a hold of it and ate it!”

On Aug. 28 of this year, I toured the new "Detroit Lions: Gridiron Heroes" exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum, where numerous game-used Lions items, photos, trophies and other memorabilia are displayed, including a bust of Schmidt, his cleats, and a game ball awarded to him. There’s even a color film of highlights from the 1953 NFL championship game and a listening station that includes the 1963 Joe Schmidt Trio record with the songs, “Cry Out Freedom” and “Lonesome One,” featuring vocals from Schmidt and teammates Dick LeBeau and Bruce Maher. (Schmidt had once told me, with a chuckle that he had a big box of the records in his basement.)

With my phone, I took photos and videos of the exhibit and immediately called Schmidt at his Florida residence to tell him about the exhibit.

His wife, Marilyn, handed the phone to their daughter, Kerry, who said that her dad was in the hospital. I then emailed her the photos and videos and asked if she would share them with her father.

The next day, she responded by email and said that he “really enjoyed seeing everything, says ‘thank you’ and that they brought back some wonderful memories.”  On the day he died, she emailed me to say, “One of the last things my dad saw were the photos and videos and that it made him smile. He was a special guy and I’m beyond grateful that he was my dad.”

At Comerica Park, the Tigers have statues of former players Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Willie Horton, Al Kaline and Hal Newhouser.

At Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings display statues of former players Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. And just last year, the Lions unveiled a beautiful statue of Barry Sanders at Ford Field.

In a statement released and posted on the Lions' website this week, Lions chair emeritus Martha Ford wrote in part: “Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team. Joe was a key part of our championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our team until his passing.”

I think a lot of people would love to see a statue of Joe Schmidt installed at Ford Field.

After all, he is “Mr. Detroit Lion.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Joe Schmidt, Detroit Lions legend, should have a statue at Ford Field